A man is in custody after a fatal shooting near the Hawthorn Suites in Kent on Wednesday morning (Jan. 3).

Around 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, Kent Officers responded to a report of a male being shot, in the area of 212th Street and 64th Ave S. (map below). When deputies arrived they discovered an unresponsive male with a gunshot wound to his upper torso. Lifesaving efforts by Officers and Medics were made; however, the 48-year old Auburn man was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Preliminary information is that a verbal dispute escalated between the victim and another male known to him. This dispute resulted in the 22-year old male shooting the victim and fleeing the scene. The believed shooter, an Auburn man, was located by Kent patrol units shortly thereafter and was taken into custody.

“It is believed that there are no other suspects at large at this time and the incident is specific to those involved,” Cmdr Jarod Kasner said.

Kent Police Detectives continue to gather information from witnesses and collect evidence from the scene.